Lombardy-VenetiaFirst Postage Stamp

A twin to Austria’s first stamp

Austria’s first stamps of 1850 and those issued for the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia shared the same iconic design, but they weren’t perfectly identical. Lombardy-Venetia had its own version, denominated in centesimi, the local currency of the time, rather than Austria’s kreuzer. A true design twin, but with a regional twist. The full set included 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 centesimi values. The earliest printings, like the one shown here, were produced on handmade paper, while later printings from 1854 used machine-made paper, offering subtle but interesting differences for collectors to spot. At first glance, the Austrian and Lombardy-Venetia first issues look nearly identical, and I’ve actually mixed them up myself before.